The Austin Film Society is very proud to announce the recipients of its 2010 Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund (TFPF) and Travel Grant programs, which this year gave away a total of $111,000 in cash and goods and services to 33 projects from emerging Texas filmmakers. AFS has now given out over $1.1 million to 293 film and video projects since the program began in 1996.

Cash grants totaling $93,000 and $6,000 worth of Kodak film stock and $5,000 in in-kind services from Seattle-based Alpha Cine Labs will be dispersed to 24 projects to recipients of the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund, adding to cash grants totaling $7,000 in stipends already dispersed to 10 Texas filmmakers via the Travel Grant program. The largest grant this year went to Ausinite Patrick Bresnan’s documentary feature VIETNAM APPRECIATION DAY, about a subculture of Vietnam War reenactors in suburban Pennsylvania. He received a $9,000 post-production grant for the film.

“The Austin Film Society is humbled by the hundreds of individuals and companies that contributed to make this year’s Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund possible,” said Rebecca Campbell, executive director of the Austin Film Society. “It goes to show how committed our community is to independent, diverse voices in filmmaking.”

Three Austin filmmakers who made award-winning first features received $7,000 grants to help complete their second films. Bob Byington will follow up the festival darling comedy HARMONY AND ME with SEVEN CHINESE BROTHERS, set to star Patton Oswalt (RATATOUILLE, BIG FAN). Kyle Henry received a grant to complete the 4th and final segment of his omnibus feature FOURPLAY, which began an innovative festival-and-digital-download release earlier this summer. And, Chris Eska, winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards for his debut AUGUST EVENING, received a grant for the Civil War-set drama SEPTEMBER MORNING.

Two feature documentaries also received $7,000 grants – Ruth Villatoro’s THE CANTINERA, which follows the daily lives of three “cantineras” in Houston – women hired by Latin bars to drink with their male clients; and Susanne Mason’s RETURN TO SENDER which examines the difficult transition faced by prisoners after they are released.

Projects from outside of Austin also fared well this year. Four filmmakers from Houston received grants – Villatoro’s THE CANTINERA, Roberto Minervini’s narrative feature MARFA RED, Jenalia Moreno & Nancy Sarnoff’s documentary STITCHED and Mary Magsamen & Stephan Hillerbrand’s experimental short FOUR PLACE SETTING. Two projects by El Paso filmmakers received grants – Elvira Carrizal-Dukes’ narrative feature OCHOA and Mikey Reyes & Carlos Corral’s narrative short RED SANDS. San Antonio filmmaker Will Shipley received a grant for his narrative short MENTIROSO and Laredo filmmaker Marcela Moran received a grant for her documentary short JORNALEROS.

AFS raises funds for TFPF through the annual Texas Film Hall of Fame
and major premieres like ME AND ORSON WELLES, PREDATORS and MACHETE.
AFS also successfully raised $40,000 for TFPF through online donation
and direct mail campaigns this summer. The final grant decisions were made by a panel of three acclaimed filmmakers from outside of the state – Sam Green, the Oscar-nominated director of the documentary THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND; Emily Hubley, director of many award-winning animated shorts and the feature THE TOE TACTIC which premiered at SXSW in 2008; and Alex Rivera, director of the sci-fi feature SLEEP DEALER, winner of two awards at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

AFS Director of Artist Services Bryan Poyser administered the 2010 TFPF and he was assisted by TFPF coordinators Elin Dunigan and Emily Robinson.

Special thanks to the sponsors of the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund: the Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Austin Cultural Funding Program, Alpha Cine Labs, Kodak, the Four Seasons Hotel, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas and The Mohawk.

Austin Film Society promotes the appreciation of film and supports creative filmmaking by screening rarely seen films, giving grants and other support to emerging filmmakers, and providing access and education about film to youth and the public. Through Austin Studios, which AFS opened in 2000 in partnership with the City of Austin, AFS helps attract film development and production to Austin and Texas. Gala film premieres and the annual Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards raise funds as well as awareness of the impact of film on economy and community. The Austin Film Society is ranked among the top film centers in the country and recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and Directors Guild of America. For more information on Austin Film Society, visit www.austinfilm.org.